Category: 纵观艺术

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Contemporary 人物 当代 艺术家

Contemporary | Zhao Qi: like works

The Chinese art

Artist: Zhao Qi

zhao qi Born in Jin County, Liaoning Province in 1954
He currently works and lives in Beijing

zhao qi would like to call these paintings on small notebooks works. Therefore, this point is emphasized because according to custom. We often call this type of painting “studio”, or shorthand or something like that. What zhao qi don’t understand is, why can’t sketches and sketches be placed in the exhibition halls of art museums such as Chinese paintings, oil paintings and prints?

Zhao Qi work

Outside of zhao qi understanding of painting, I think the work is a kind of narrative and the painter expresses his ideas through the painting. Although these paintings on small books are not “formal” like the works on display, their essence is still something thoughtful.

These paintings are random, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting, sometimes leaning against where. This way, I can see that when I painted. I must have been moved by the image in front of me. Yes, these images are painted in front of the object, it is not an imagination from nothing. ——This is different from other jobs, right?

——All the works are sent with feelings. suddenly I feel wrong to tell this fact. Because some images are also boring when I hold a pen and first draw carelessly. When painting, the picture looks interesting. Painting is indeed a very magical act, we cannot know where the end of the brush is attached.

Contemporary art usually refers to art that has innovated and subverted existing norms in the fields of oil painting, sculpture, and printmaking since China implemented economic reforms in 1979 and opened to the outside world, including photography. Installation.Concept.Performance. Video. Multimedia and other new art forms . The Chinese art circle regards an art exhibition in 1979 as the beginning of Chinese contemporary art history.

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Contemporary 当代 艺术家

Contemporary丨Chen Qiang: Thoughts spanning

Thoughts spanning

chen qiang sketch

Life is a general summary

Life is a general summary of human beings living in nature and from the past to the present to the future, emphasizing practical effectiveness on the issue of survival. It is precisely because of this practicality that it rejects the essence of art, because the thoughts of art is ineffective in the practicality of life.

The effectiveness of life has established a common sense of normality for us, so that our thoughts and actions are within this clear range of normal consciousness. Practicality and effectiveness are brought into full play in this range. However, the essence of art does not belong to this range.

This kind of normality consciousness will find that we have to give up those normal consciousnesses in the process of fully pursuing ambitious, practical and intelligent goals.

Abandoning the thoughts of normalcy is the beginning of discovering art and also the beginning of artistic creation.
In fact, art is the art of perception.

The original intention of art

The original intention of art is to allow perception to regain new perception. It is the perception that is difficult to perceive. It is about the perception method, about the perception outside the existing perspective, about the perception of small accidents in the existing experience, and it emphasizes the methodology.

thoughts chen qiang
chen qiang experimental

There are many reasons that hinder our in-depth creation, one of the main ones is too many ideas, too selfish, and too arbitrary.

Art is not a microphone and foil of ideas. Art will shine only when ideas serve art.
It is not that art needs to match ideas, but ideas need to match art.

Don’t expect to put your own ideas into others’ heads through art. Because art is not a tool, let alone a conspiracy. Ideas can only become the background, not the protagonist.

chen Qiang sketch Thoughts

Why do we put a horizontal line across the screen, our eyes will immediately show the illusion of the horizon? Is this the effect of gravity on us? Or is our genes conspiring with gravity?

Gravity is the original force on the earth and is closely related to the birth of life. The horizon is a symbol of gravity.

Gravity determines our perception. We perceive the world under the control of gravity, and we perceive the world in the formula of gene propagation and survival.

Our perception is a convenient program edited by genes in order to survive and spread genes. Everything starts step by step, and we are secretly defined as a carrier of communication.

However, in the long journey of human development, due to the residual increment of perception .

The birth of art

The birth of art has gradually become an exception thoughts. It is a bit like a mutation in gene transfer. It can become more and more free from gravitational manipulation.

Survival needs, let yourself become useless for survival, let yourself be yourself. When the purpose of art is art. Art has completed its ignorance of gravity and betrayal of genes.

Presenting the unknown perception is like presenting art. From a certain angle, let yourself be in a kind of uncertainty from time to time, is it not a kind of freedom?
This is the question I thought about in the process of creating this batch of works.

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Contemporary 当代 艺术家

Contemporary | Su Xinping: Art, spend my life

Artist: Su Xinping
Born in Jining City, Inner Mongolia in 1960
Deputy Dean of the Central Academy of Fine Arts
Professor, PhD supervisor

Su XinPing Perspective

Su Xin ping was born in Jining, central Inner Mongolia, and now Ulan Qab City. Where the population was only about 30,000 in the 1960s. From today’s perspective, it can only be regarded as a small town, an adobe house, and a few buildings.

In January 1977, I enlisted in the army. The army stipulates that recruits must train in the company for one year, and can only do painting-related work in the second year.

One day after living in the company for half a year, when I was studying to read the newspaper in the evening. I accidentally saw the news about the admissions of the People’s Liberation Army Art Academy . In the newspaper, which caught my attention.

Su xingping Military art

su xin ping decided to apply for the military arts exam, so I went to the leader of the army to talk about my thoughts. I didn’t expect to get the answer that ordinary soldiers can’t apply for the exam. This kind of answer can hardly hit me. At that time, there was only one way for soldiers to enter university, and that was to retire.

Chinese works

After I was discharged from the army, I went to work at Jining City Cultural Center, and I was able to devote all my energy to review. In May, when it was the day of college admissions and registration.

The only professional schools I could choose were the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and the Department of Fine Arts of Inner Mongolia Normal University.

Inner Mongolia belonged to In the North China region, national regulations did not allow cross-regional examinations at that time.

As for why I chose printmaking artist as a major, I think it may be a problem of understanding, because I have painted a lot of black and white illustrations in the army. I think black and white painting is just a printmaking.

Oversea life

I was admitted to the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1986. At that time, the academic atmosphere of the Academy of Fine Arts was unparalleled. You can see some clues only from my classmates and colleagues. When I was in school. Yin Jinan and I lived in a dormitory.

However, the selection and conversion process of my major did not go smoothly. My master’s research direction was woodcut.

When I saw the last class of classmates painting stone plates, I was still attracted. For the first time.I saw that it can Painting, and can print very subtle changes. I wanted to try it out, so I secretly borrowed a slate from him.

At the end of the teaching inspection. the teacher in the department saw the lithograph I painted and asked who made it. I was a little nervous about being criticized.

The department leader thought that I was more suitable for professional development in lithograph. and the department decided to transfer me to study at lithograph studio.

Su XinPing Gao ming lu

At the end of 1988, Gao Minglu, the curator of the “Chinese Modern Art Exhibition”, came to the Academy of Fine Arts to select works. When he saw my lithographs. he chose two works and invited me to participate in the exhibition.

Today, it seems that the modern art exhibition is a landmark exhibition in the history of contemporary Chinese art. But su xin ping did not have this awareness at all at the beginning. and even before the opening of the exhibition. Su xin ping went back to my hometown in Inner Mongolia to visit relatives.

Only later did I hear about the grand occasion of the exhibition, and learned that on the opening day of the National Art Museum of China. Almost all participating artists were present. The shooting, the sale of shrimps, the washing of feet, and the incubation of eggs. shocked a series of contemporary art acts that challenge ideology.

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Contemporary 当代 艺术家

Contemporary | Zhang Hui likes Beijing

Dazzling sun

Artist: Zhang Hui

Born in Beijing in 1968

Zhang Hui Graduated from the Mural Painting Department of Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1991
2005 Master of Arts and Design, Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Currently works and lives in Beijing

walk in the surrounding

Living in Beijing, Zhang Hui like to walk in the surrounding mountains. Zhang Hui usually leave at 8 or 9 in the morning, sometimes with a couple of friends, sometimes by myself, driving for one and a half to two hours, and there are some routes around 100 kilometers away.

If it is a four- to five-hour route, Zhang Hui will bring something to eat, such as a steamed bun or a biscuits or bean buns, and sometimes a boiled egg. Generally, there is no salted duck egg, which is salty and oily, which is inconvenient. Be sure to bring something sweet, such as a few pieces of candy, two snacks, or two energy bars.

Bring a 500ml bottle of water on cold days, two bottles on hot days, and three bottles in July and August. There are many hills with an altitude of about one kilometer in Beijing, and the general parking place is about 500 meters.

There are only three mountains of two kilometers, Dongling Mountain 2,303 meters, Haituo Mountain 2,241 meters, and Wuling Mountain 2,118 meters. Outdoor hiking has sunshine, sufficient oxygen, and the atmosphere of trees, flowers, and mountains. It is a process of challenging one’s own limits and relaxing and happy.

In the book “What Do I Talk About When I Talk about Running,” Haruki Murakami describes his daily life, running in the sun, eating grilled fish, drinking beer, writing, and listening to music.

It’s a beautiful day. Zhang Hui also like the ending part of his “Norwegian Forest.” Reiko made a hot pot for Watanabe, and they sang while talking about the guitar. They held a “real” funeral for Naoko and played 51 songs in a row. The soul of Super Naoko is also redeeming himself. After that, they “hugged each other as a matter of course” and then made love.

like Bach’s music

Zhang Hui like Bach’s music, religious sense and divinity. Especially his fugue, the chase and escape of notes entangled and flowed. Zhang Hui like Indian traditional music, which is continuous and coming in a steady stream. Like jazz. Like Mahler, especially his ninth and tenth symphony, eternal, beyond death, suffocating.

Schopenhauer said that we are all slaves of our own will, trapped in the desire for food, sex, money, and control. Art is a possible way to save us from the distorted, boring and painful reality. Art can give us. Transcendence, it has such an energy to help us achieve spiritual escape.

Over the years, Zhang Hui have painted several different series: cities, trees and branches, people, colored stones, clouds, grids. There are many journeys and thoughts behind these paintings. Now it is difficult for me to state clearly the background of these thoughts.

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Contemporary 当代

Contemporary | Lei Benben – Phone photographs

Lei Benben is an artist with strong consciousness, in other words, lei ben ben takes a simple and linear approach to think about her art style.

Lei Benben , Showder on the water, 2005, photography

lei ben ben used to be a dance teacher. To her, since dancing was very much challenged by other commercialized art formats, it somehow makes dancing a purer and soulful expression. One day, Lei Benben picked up a camera by accident. Camera’s view to the world and the way it captures images amazed her. So she gave up her dance career, and turned for another challenging profession.

Lei Benben , The Passion of Life, 2005, photography

Lei Benben started her photograph career by using camera lenses on mobile phones. The style of her works is rather low key: the objects in her images give us the sense of joy with melancholy. The color of her images seemed to be purified to its original luster by the soft lights of a cloudy day, touching and vibrant.

Wisdom and beauty photographs

lei ben ben photograph works are random taken. Lei Benben is an artist with linear logic and her characteristics determines that her works would not be flourished with splendid colors. However, her works are full of straightforward wisdom and beauty. The underlying interpretation of social morals can be sensed throughout her images. In addition, the art of dance plays a significant role in Lei Benben’s photography; it makes her works delicate and sensitive, even if the themes of the works are somehow heavy or serious. The element also contributes to the permeating, gentle and subtle appearance of her photography without overloaded contents.

Lei Benben , Present, 2012, photography

Lei Benben’s mobile phone photography concentrates on story-telling rather than expressing opinions of displaying certain attitude. It is very similar to man traditional Chinese poetries that praise on nature phenomenon: the works only care about what is happening, not what would happen afterwards.

lei ben ben ‘s Hair is missing

Lei Benben , My Hair is missing , 2007, photography
Lei Benben , My Hair is missing , 2007, photography

A bald head could be a special code for certain groups or certain characters. For example, the bold head is commonly associated with prisoners, patients (those who are losing hair as result of chemotherapy), Buddhists, Punks, Skin Heads or artists. In this case, bald head actually becomes identity or the symbol of some groups with special characteristics. Some would obtain this special code or symbol to gain certain recognition or at the least the proof of an identity. Since the identity is such a hot topic in today’s society, the image of “bald head” drew Lei Benben’s attention and let her into a contemplative process to find her proof of identity. In the contemporary society, Bald Head is often linked to negative things.

Lei Benben , My Hair is missing , 2007, photography
Lei Benben , My Hair is missing , 2007, photography

Sometimes, it is considered as a sign of politics, representing a class of people who are not respected politically or socially. In reality, the image of “bold head” has in fact been worshipped as an alternative subject by many. More and more people start to use the image to gain recognitions or identities. Along with other popular idols or distinctive personalities, the appearance of “bold head” makes the character identifying an even more intriguing and complicated process.

The institute of Zoology and Botany for Lei Benben

Lei Benben , The institute of Zoology and Botany , 2007, photography

“The institute of Zoology and Botany” is the work that Lei Benben has been expecting the most. The images attempt to create contrast and examine how life reacts and strives for survival under suppression. In this case, the forcible use of flash lights provides the unusual and surprising power for subject’s compulsory behavior. Because Lei Benben is not a scholar type of artist, she once again diverted from a serious and heavy topic by employing her romantic and sentimental nature. That’s why I believe that this photograph series is smart and poetic.

Lei Benben , The institute of Zoology and Botany , 2007, photography
Lei Benben , The institute of Zoology and Botany , 2007, photography

From:

http://www.leibenben.com/EnIndex.aspx

https://ocula.com/artists/lei-benben/

http://www.artnet.com/artists/lei-benben/

http://www.artlinkart.com/en/artist/wrk_sr/d32atwt/2dcdsCq

For more Chinese art: Abgstage01. 

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Contemporary 当代

Contemporary | Ni Youyu – Multifaceted artist

Ni Youyu is not just an artist; he is an observer, a researcher and a collector. In his spacious, industrial Shanghai studio, one encounters antique shards of ceramics, curious objects found in flea markets, stacks of notebooks and works in progress. Commonly overlooked found objects, many of which the artist discovered while traveling, are scattered around the room.

Ni Youyu working in his studio in Shanghai, 2013     Photo: Shasha Liu

Ni strives to create a space where ideas historical and contemporary can intersect. Educated in traditional Chinese ink-wash painting, he draws from the rich and deep traditions of Song and Yuan Dynasty ink paintings, when the ancient artists pursued the unity between man and nature within the limited space of paintings. The Song and Yuan pieces emphasized the sense of historical grandeur and rationality, making a strong impression esthetically with their precise of brush strokes. Following Chinese radition, Ni studies and emulates the work of old Chinese masters as a daily ritual. However, he does not simply mimic these ancient artworks in his own work. Rather, he immerses himself in them to extract their essence and purposely does not include ink paintings on paper in his own work. Ni’s practice is equally informed by post-1960s conceptual art, such as the Italian modern art movement Arte Povera (1967-1972).

Installation view of Ni Youyu's personal exhibition
Installation view of Ni Youyu’s personal exhibition “Brief history” Shanghai Art Museum Ni Youyu solo exhibition “Site of short history exhibitions”

Ich the damaged relics Ni You yu

lch (2013), made from found objects, involves 100 small pieces of damaged and eroded relics of Chinese figurative sculptures of people, Buddha and animals, dating from the North Song (960-1127AD) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912AD) that Ni collected on research trips over several years. After making molds from these ancient pieces, the artist cast soap sculptures from them. Exhibited as though they are artifacts, the sculptures juxtapose the temporality of soap with the lifespan of hard stone antiquities. In doing so, they raise questions about change and permanency, exposing both materials’ essential fragility.

Ni Youyu, Zilch, 2013, 100 soap sculptures
Ni Youyu, Zilch, 2013, 100 soap sculptures

As part of the work, viewers are invited to become participants and “adopt” one piece of the soap, which they are free to use however they like. In exchange, they are asked to submit a photo of the object in their home. Their treatment of the soap becomes a reflection of their understanding of the sculpture’s function and its status as both a utilitarian and an aesthetic object.

Ni Youyu , Zilch Bubble, 2013, detail
Ni Youyu , Zilch Bubble, 2013, detail

The Song dynasty

Since 2011, Ni has been working on a series of paintings that exclusively use black matte and gold paint. Inspired by paintings from the Song dynasty and historical Japanese screen paintings. Sense of history, their color combinations and the precision of the brush strokes. Ni chose these colors in order to create a concrete yet illusionary visual effect. The contract of the gold semi-gloss against the black matte yields a contradictory quality. lending each scene a realistic yet dream-like aura.

Ni Youyu ,Song Dynasty inkwash painting in detail
Ni Youyu ,Song Dynasty inkwash painting in detail

Hoping to avoid solid lines, Ni developed a special method that uses pressurized water to wash away layers of paint. For each painting, he repeats this process several times; the result is a surface that appears worn, as though eroded by time. This effect is a similar to the visual device used in Song and Yuan Dynasty ink paintings. Ni creates scenes of waterfalls, landslides and flood-damaged landscapes by applying water to the painting’s surface. This interaction – between water both represented and actual – imbues the work with a sense of ingenuity and contradiction.

Ni Youyu, Big Waterfall II detail

Galaxy the experience of childhood of Ni Youyu

Ni’s work Galaxy (2008-) re-examines and critiques the trend of costly large-scale art productions .that may be impressive but possess little meaning or content. In Chinese, the phrase “to pound the money” refers to spending a large amount of money without giving it much thought. Ni physically enacts this saying. repeatedly hammering coins he has collected from around the world until their surfaces are flat enough to paint on.

Ni Youyu, Galaxy, 2008 – 2012, Installation view

Building upon his preexisting interest in miniature painting, Ni trained himself to draw ink paintings on the coins.which he flattens to approximately one inch in diameter. As though representing “a galaxy of human knowledge,” these paintings depict a range of subjects, from landscapes to anatomy. This project furthers Ni’s exploration of the relationship between deduction and addition. In destroying the coins’ surfaces, he removes their monetary value. However, this process of destruction is also generative: it transforms .the coins into art objects, endowing them with a new value within the art market.

The inherent labor-intensive quality of his artworks requires the artist’s full attention and repetitive action. Ni often gets into a deep meditative state while in the process of creation. lending these works a sense of ease and grace. making his artistic practice an effortless endeavor.

From:

https://theartling.com/en/artists/ni-youyu/

https://www.niyouyu.com/

http://www.guan-dian.org/ni-youyu

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/216753

For more Chinese art: Abgstage01. 

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Contemporary 当代

Contemporary | Yuan Yuan – Architectural paintings

Chinese artist Yuan Yuan is known on the international art scene thanks to his distinctive paintings, focused on architectural subjects and executed with impeccable technique. They convey a unique atmosphere, that is materialized in the poetic of memory. 

Yuan Yuan, Confessionary II, 2013, oil on linen
Confessionary II, 2013, oil on linen

Zheijang hometown

Yuan Yuan born in 1973 in Zhejiang province and studied in the Oil Painting Department of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou. Where he gained a graduation in Fine Arts in 1996 and a Master in Fine Arts in 2008. When YuanYuan was studying there, while Chinese society was still very conservative. The Academy was “like a sunroof, always open for us” . And he benefited from a library well stocked with foreign periodicals. Currently lives and works in Hangzhou and Berlin.

His work is heavily influenced by traditional Chinese painting, which she studied when he was a secondary school student. Also, the painter was inspirited by Western artist such as Richard Long (Land Art) and Felix Gonzalez-Torres (Conceptual Art).  

Yuan Yuan, Breakfast, 2013, oil on canvas.
Breakfast, 2013, oil on canvas.

YuanYuan subjects are mainly interiors and these are based on real places, with some imaginary elements added. Sometimes he also manipulates architectural details and as a result the scenes . He depicts seem to lie somewhere between reality and illusion. 

All Yuan Yuan’s paintings share a sense of abandonment, offering just a glimpse of their former glory.

The artist said

“Ruins give us a sense of security, they are living spaces without .A sense of pressure so you can do whatever you want. Abandoned places are also public, meaning that you may enter and visit. This is similar to the process of a viewer who is looking at an artwork. I am trying my best to identify the residual traces left behind – not so much what the place has now.But rather what this place used to be for a long time, which no one can take away and cannot be seen. “

Yuan Yuan, A Home for Home, 2012, oil on canvas
YuanYuan, A Home for Home, 2012, oil on canvas
Yuan Yuan, Fairy Dream Liner 3, 2008, oil on canvas
YuanYuan, Fairy Dream Liner 3, 2008, oil on canvas

Paintings composition are highly structured and orderly, dictated by the geometric details of the   architecture depicted.  what sets Yuan Yuan’s paintings is the incredible detail with which he describes every individual surface within the composition. In particular, She is fascinated by mosaics and patterns of tiles, whether on floors, walls, or lining pools and showers.

He is able to play with an infinite variety of hues within the same color scheme to produce a stunning effect. The atmosphere often feels humid in his paintings, with water in pools or dripping from .the ceiling or decaying walls, and the mood is melancholy. In order to achieve the effect of wet surfaces, he applies several layers of diluted pigment. A classical Chinese painting technique.  

Yuan Yuan, Meteoric Water, 2011, acrylic on canvas
Yuan Yuan, Meteoric Water, 2011, acrylic on canvas
Yuan Yuan, Swimming Pool II, 2010, oil on canvas
Yuan Yuan, Swimming Pool II, 2010, oil on canvas

At first glance, Yuan Yuan’s paintings seem devoid of any human presence. This is not quite true. She wants to represent people by depicting traces of human activity, which heighten our curiosity. 

Thus, She also conveys a sense of passing time, of transition and history. 

Yuan Yuan, Mirror, 2011, oil on canvas
Mirror, 2011, oil on canvas

For more Chinese art: Abgstage01. 

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Contemporary 当代

Contemporary | Wang Ruilin – “Dreams”

Surreal animal sculptures by Wang Ruilin 

In the serie titled “Dreams”, Chinese sculptor Wang Ruilin creates surreal animals with a particular  features: on their backs – and sometimes on their antlers – these creatures carry monumental elements of nature like lakes and mountain cliffs. It’s like a modern animal-version of Noah’s Arc without people.  

“Dreams Ark1”, Wang Ruilin
“Dreams Ark1”, Wang Ruilin
“Dreams Floating1”, Wang Ruilin
“Dreams Floating1”, Wang Ruilin

Wang Ruilin is a talented Chinese sculptor, born in 1985 in Anshan, in province of Liaoning. He graduated at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 2005 and  actually lives and works in the same city. 

Rui Sculpture Life

His sculptures are heavily influenced by traditional Chinese art and mythology. Indeed, his life changed at the age of four or five, when he encountered . a painting of a horse by the artist Xu Beihong (1895-1953). A traditional Chinese painter, primarily known for his ink paintings of horses and birds. Ruilin became obsessed with these vigorous animal and has ever since identified with it.

Horses became one of the main characters of Ruilin’s works, resulting in the series “Horse. Play”, where pours the lively power of the animal in different static postures, creating significant tensions in the sculptures. 

“Horse. Play”, Wang Ruilin
“Horse. Play”, Wang Ruilin
“Dreams Horse”, Wang Ruilin
“Dreams Horse”, Wang Ruilin

“Dreams” series are almost life-sized copped sculptures .And the artist describes their creative process as digging deep into his heart and excavating works that originally exist from various experiences.

About his works, Ruilin says:

“Pursuit of Dreamscomes from my imagination, which is the balance between nature and abnormal state. Animals in Pursuit of Dreams may not be lifelike for I wish to inject different spiritualities and. spirits of the east and remind people to focus and admire on . other individuals who are the same or even more beautiful besides themselves only. Pursuit of Dreams-ark is the work I was inspired in the moment of 2012 . when people were concerning on how to be saved and I make ark to save not only rivers and mountains of human. In the space of impermanent compounds, what we pursue may not exist really and we can only feel the value and force. of life when the doom is set. Just as the big fish that I compare to ark, it carries mountains and rivers with life and . observes the world with the soul”

“Dreams Ark2”, Wang Ruilin
“Dreams Ark2”, Wang Ruilin
Wang Ruilin working on “Horse. Play
Ruilin working on “Horse. Play”

Eastern-classical art also influenced Ruilin use of color.In particular he loves Chinese flower paintings . for their rich, bright and cool colors. For the artist eyes they seem deep, pure and full of profoundness and uniqueness. 

The series “Dreams” was protagonist of ART Beijing in 2014.  

“Dreams Yak”, Wang Ruilin
“Dreams Yak”, Wang Ruilin
“Dreams Floating2”, Wang Ruilin
“Dreams Floating2”, Wang Ruilin
Wang Ruiling creating a sculpture
Ruilin creating a sculpture

For more Chinese art: Abgstage01

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Contemporary 当代 纵观艺术 艺术家

Contemporary| Zhou Jun – The Thick Red Line

Zhou Jun is a contemporary conceptual chinese photographer. He was born in Nanjing Province in 1965 and graduated from Nanjing Normal University in 1990.

His work revolves around construction sites and the relationship between urbanization and the preservation of ancient cultural inheritance.

Zhou Jun
Zhou Jun

Zhou Jun’s technique

The artist is best known for his series – Scaffoldings; Bird’s Nest project; The Red and the Black – featuring Chinese cities in black and white with overlays of red streamers wrapped around under-construction buildings. Zhou Jun uses large format film cameras to produce negatives, which are scanned, digitally manipulated and printed to produce large unframed photographic works. Built environment is the subject of Zhou’s work in an analysis of China’s rapid and sometimes brutal redevelopment. Created since 1992, his photographs mainly treat the conflicting relationships between Chinese traditional architecture and contemporary buildings while continuously challenging the symbolic nature of the red color.

9th 2007, 2007, Digital C - print, 120 x 190 cm/180 x 286 cm
9th 2007, 2007, Digital C – print, 120 x 190 cm/180 x 286 cm
Expo 2010 Shanghai - China Pavillion, 2009, Digital C - print, 120 x 150 cm/220 x 180 cm
Expo 2010 Shanghai – China Pavillion, 2009, Digital C – print, 120 x 150 cm/220 x 180 cm

Building progress

The contradictions that are presented when trying to preserve the past in a time of China’s unprecedented economic growth underpin the work of Zhou Jun. During the last thirty years the most striking feature of China’s re-development has been its city construction. Demolition of whole villages to make way for high-rise development is a regular occurrence. The lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics saw massive building works and although it transformed Beijing into a modern city entire neighborhoods were ‘moved on’ in the name of progress.

Bird's Nest No. 2, 2006, Digital C - print, 50 x 60 cm/120 x 150 cm
Bird’s Nest No. 2, 2006, Digital C – print, 50 x 60 cm/120 x 150 cm

Zhou Jun’s work embodies a quality of yearning for the past to some extent and this is seen in his photographs of historic buildings from Beijing. He is acutely aware of the expansion of Chinese cities and the loss of traditional architecture. It is the loss of Chinese culture in the pursuit of globalisation.

Phoenix Ancient City, 2011, Digital C - print, 120 x 150 cm/180 x 220 cm
Phoenix Ancient City, 2011, Digital C – print, 120 x 150 cm/180 x 220 cm

Seeing red

The color red has significance in Chinese cultural memory as it is used for ceremonial occasions such as weddings but it also represents revolutionary communist ideology. It is a reminder of the turmoil of the recent past. Because of this, the wide variety of perspectives of each person means completely different feelings and reactions are aroused by the color red. The partnership between the black and white photographs and the red sections of scaffolding allows the audience to produce their own meanings.

“Hanging Red”, 2009, 120 x 150 cm, Archival Inkjet Print on Fine Art Paper
“Hanging Red”, 2009, 120 x 150 cm, Archival Inkjet Print on Fine Art Paper

A word from the author

“The three decades of development China is experiencing – building to a crescendo with the Olympics – are unparalleled in history. The colour red, which I use to highlight specific parts of the photograph, can elicit different responses in people from different countries or cultures – at times, it can even have opposite meanings for people. I want my work to be interpreted differently by people depending on their response to the symbolic meaning of red. In this sense, the work has the potential to reveal international perspectives to common subject matter.”

Zhou Jun also creates sculptural works using porcelain and other materials, always mantaining his distinctive style and his conceptual structure.

A
A “wounded” porcelain vase, surrounded by scaffoldings

For more informations about Zhou Jun’s work: https://www.redgategallery.com/Artists/Zhou_Jun-photography/index.html

or: http://www.artlinkart.com/en/artist/wrk_yr/dbabrws/1eccAtt/2006

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Contemporary 当代 纵观艺术 艺术家

Contemporary | Li Xiaofeng – Porcelain Heart

Li Xiaofeng is a Chinese sculptor and fashion designer, born in 1965 in Hubei. His unique work consists in wearable porcelain clothes.

He graduated at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA)’s Mural Department, and began his activity as a muralist. Then he began specializing in sculpture in order to explore new concepts and expressive forms to apply to the Chinese contemporary artistic scene.

Li Xiaofeng
Li Xiaofeng

His sculpture-clothing project is truly original, both for the selected material and the idea of wearable “pieces of armor” that recall Chinese traditional works.

Li Xiaofeng’s creative process

Li Xiaofeng researches and collects fragments of ancient Chinese porcelain recovered from archaeological excavations, dating back to the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties: he models and polishes them and punctures them, then sews them together on a leather undergarment through a silver thread, creating a “porcelain fabric”. His meticulous work is a bridge between past and present and a sharp reflection on the concept of culture. 

porcelain dress 1
These dresses are fully wearable
porcelain dress 2

Li’s Rearranged landscapes

“Chinese culture” is the basic breakthrough point in Li’s works: he feels a sense of mission for its study and he channels it all in what he calls “Post Orientalism”. Landscape was always a major theme in his large number of paintings created in the past but, instead of simply copying like some other contemporary artists, he had always the urge to rearrange it, in a dynamic dialogue with history. 

This extract explains the reason why Li Xiaofeng’s calls his porcelain clothes “rearranged landscapes”:

“Since the time when it was the Mongol Yuan capital Khanbalik to the present day, Beijing has initiated its largest excavation projects of all time and, like a blue snake that has been hibernating for a millennium, the city is now stirring and shedding its old skin. It greedily emerges through the towering buildings, twisting free from the historical sediment of its ancient civilization. Blue-and-white porcelain shards that represent this civilization are unearthed in large quantities at the same time. These blue shards, bathed in the sunny skies of socialism and caressed by the contemporary cool breezes blowing from the west throughout the capital, assume a bewildering array of postures as fashion items entering the new century!

Xi Liaofeng at work
Xi Liaofeng at work

Among his works are women’s dresses, t-shirts and men’s jackets. His first piece in wearable porcelain fragments was “Beijing Memories”, a Mao suit.

MIlitary uniform
MIlitary uniform

Lacoste’s porcelain shirt Li XiaoFeng

In 2010 the world-renowned brand Lacoste commissioned Li Xiaofeng a porcelain polo shirt for men and women for the Holiday Collector series. Unfortunately, a problem occurred: the PRC prohibits the export of ancient artifacts, including old porcelain shards.

Despite that, the artist did not give up and realized the porcelain himself, with the crocodile’s logo attached, and tore it apart only to recompose it into a Polo shirt, one of the most expensive and exclusive items ever sold by Lacoste.

Lacoste's porcelain shirt-sculpture
Lacoste’s porcelain shirt-sculpture

The artist also released a limited edition polo shirt, choosing blue and white fragments depicting the lotus flower and drawings of newborns from the Kangxi period and the Qing dynasty. The lotus flower represents rebirth and purity while newborns represent fertility. In that period the mortality rate among children was high and this type of decoration was in great demand in the hope of being a blessing for children.

“Porcelain shards” polo shirt

Li Xiaofeng’s main expositions

2019Dreaming of Crafts of the Future: Mongyudowon Unfolds, 11th Cheongju Craft Biennale 2019, Culture Factory C, Cheongju
2018Cracked – Porcelain, Red Gate Gallery
 2D vs 3D, Red Gate Gallery
 798, We Are Back, Red Gate Gallery
2017Red Gate on the Move, Red Gate Gallery
 Contemporary Dialogues Between Fashion and Art, Zhu Zhong Art Museum
 The Silk Road and Celestial Clothes, Taimiao Art Museum
 Fusion – The International Exhibition of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts, Nanjing
2016Red Gate: The Next 25 Years, Red Gate Gallery
2015China: Through the Looking Glass，The Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA
20145th Tanwan Ceramics Biennale, Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum, Tanwan
 ST. Start International exhibition of the Chinese Contemporary Ceramic Art, Today Art Museum, Beijing
20137th Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale 2013 Korea, Icheon CeraMIX Creative Center, Korea
2011Ming to Nirvana, Red Gate Gallery
2010Head On, Red Gate Gallery
 Width Contemporary Art Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Beijing
2008Virginia Miller Gallery, Miami
 Asian Contemporary Art Fair, New York
2006Sculpture, Pickled Art Centre
 Consumption Times I, Ha Te Art Centre
2005Diversity and Construction, Beijing
2004X Yard, Beijing
 Beijing International Art Camp
2002CAFA Graduates’ Exhibition

For more informations about Li Xiaofeng’s work: https://www.redgategallery.com/content/li-xiaofeng

or: https://www.artsy.net/artist/li-xiaofeng